Raven Saunders, the masked shot putter who won silver in Tokyo, qualifies for final

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Who was that masked person?

It was Raven Saunders, of course — the theatrical American shot put standout who uses the pronouns they and them and brings their own distinctive style to every meet they attend.

Saunders qualified for the Olympic final Thursday, wearing a full-faced black mask and gold-hued sunglasses. Their hair was dyed neon green on one side and purple on the other. Saunders had gold grills covering their upper and lower teeth, along with long fingernails on their left hand that were bedazzled and in Team USA colors and the letters H-U-L-K.

This is Saunders’ alter ego once the shot put starts flying. Turning into “The Hulk” helps them feel like a superhero getting ready to hurl that 8.8-pound hunk of metal.

“I’m in full form,” Saunders said of their costume. “I had to remind the people, I am who I am.”

And that’s a threat to add another medal to the silver they took in Tokyo. And a mental-health advocate. And a role model. And a reminder to the world that the Olympics are a bridge that can reach well beyond sports.

“It is one way to make me stand out and encourage other women,” Saunders said of their shot-put persona. “A lot of younger athletes are coming through and they really push their own styles.”

After scratching on their first throw, they recorded 17.93 meters on their second and 18.62 on their final to ensure their spot in the final. As usual, it will be as interesting to see what Saunders wears as how far they throw.

“I have something even better,” they said of what’s in store.

At the medals ceremony in Tokyo, Saunders crossed their arms and formed an “X” with their wrists. Saunders explained the “X” stood for “the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet.”

The 28-year-old from Charleston, South Carolina, competed at Southern Illinois before transferring to Ole Miss. They won NCAA shot put titles at both schools, in 2015 and 2016.

Saunders missed the 2023 world championships when they were suspended for 18 months because of three “whereabouts failures” — missing drug tests — within a 12-month period.

It was all part of a dark time for Saunders, whose mom died unexpectedly just after the Tokyo Games and also went through hip surgery.

There was serious consideration to walking away from the sport.

“No matter how dark it gets, no matter how tough — there will be light,” Saunders said. “Those dark moments, those dark days, I dragged myself out of bed and drag myself to weight room, tears in my eyes, begging, ‘When is this going to be over?’ I just kept fighting every single day. It felt like for months on end, and finally I had a breakthrough. That’s the power of resilience and persistence and trust and faith.”

Saunders has not shied away from discussing their mental-health hurdles. If that message seeps through to others, it’s great with them.

“I honestly said that If I made this team, when I made this team, that it was for the people,” Saunders said. “It was for the people that reminded me of who I was when I was down, when I was out, when I was suspended.”